New Delhi/Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a firm warning to India, stating that any attack or “misadventure” would elicit a “swift, calibrated and decisive” response from Islamabad.
The remarks, posted on X (formerly Twitter) late on April 2, directly countered statements made earlier the same day by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“Marka-e-Haq remains fresh in our minds. The next time our response will be even more forceful and decisive. Let there be no ambiguity: Pakistan remains committed to peace and regional stability, but its resolve to defend sovereignty is absolute, its preparedness complete, and its response will be swift, calibrated and decisive,” the Dawn reported, quoting Asif, ho did not specifically refer to the statement but tagged Singh.
The Pakistani minister described India’s repeated rhetoric as reflecting “visible strategic anxiety” ahead of the first anniversary of the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.
“Repeated rhetoric reflects not strength, but visible strategic anxiety as the anniversary of the staged false flag operation in Pahalgam approaches — an episode that failed to withstand international scrutiny and exposed New Delhi’s reliance on manufactured crises. Such threat-mongering is not new; it is part of a predictable pattern — externalising internal fragility, and attempting to provoke escalation under the garb of unsubstantiated allegations for vested political interests,” he wrote.
He added a direct reminder to his Indian counterpart: “Let me remind Rajnath Singh that the illusion of space for war between two nuclear states is inconceivable and has drastic consequences.”
Rajnath Singh’s warning
Singh’s comments came during a Sainik Samman Sammelan at Thiruvananthapuram in poll-bound Kerala. He cautioned that Pakistan could attempt a “misadventure” amid the ongoing Iran-related conflict in West Asia and asserted that India’s response would be “unprecedented and decisive.”
“Operation Sindoor is still on,” Singh said, referring to India’s May 2025 military operation that struck terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. He claimed Indian forces “brought Pakistan to its knees within 22 minutes” and warned that any repeat “mischief” from across the border would invite action “that Pakistan will never forget.”
